Searchable Database of Projects....

[jreed]

I work in utilities and I would like to create a simple searchable image/drawing database by key word(s). Does anyone know of a simple and fast way to create this. I was looking at creating metafiles for every drawing but that doesn't seem to be an easy task. I have also looked at creating a searchable pdf, but that seems like it would take an eternity. I have been scanning our old paper drawings and creating .pdfs of our approved drawings. My ultimate goal is to make this listing available to anyone in our company. What is the most common (ease) way to create something like this.

[Alfredo_Medina]

If you want something you can do by yourself without buying a specialized file management application or writing code, you can use a database application such as Microsoft Access. It is included in Microsoft Office Professional, so probably it is already in your computer. Create a table that contains fields, such as: drawing_image , drawing_link , drawing_description , etc. To abbreviate things, instead of creating a record for every drawing, you could work with projects, instead, like this: project_image, project_link , project_description, etc. Set the appropriate type of data to each field, such as image, url, text, etc. Then create a form, laying out all the fields in a nice and clear way. Include a row of navigation buttons (first, previous, next, and last record) and another one, the most important one, for searching records. All these buttons already come with the program.

Alfredo Medina
info@planta1.com

[Anonymous]

making the database is easy, but what prog will display the data?
If acad, just draw text with project name and have them use find.
I wonder if design review can do this doo for a dwf.

I believe the enterprise level way to do this is make GIS data that some control can show in a form made in .net or
whatever your language of choice. Its not that hard to do if you can program in vb.net or c#. I would not bother with
VBA or old VB at this point.

email me to keep in touch as i am looking into the exact same ability without wanting to buy some doc mgmt software that
never totally does what I want.

jreed@hub-tn.com <>
|>I work in utilities and I would like to create a simple searchable image/drawing database by key word(s). Does anyone know of a simple and fast way to create this. I was looking at creating metafiles for every drawing but that doesn't seem to be an easy task. I have also looked at creating a searchable pdf, but that seems like it would take an eternity. I have been scanning our old paper drawings and creating .pdfs of our approved drawings. My ultimate goal is to make this listing available to anyone in our company. What is the most common (ease) way to create something like this.
James Maeding
Civil Engineer and Programmer
jmaeding - at - hunsaker - dotcom

[wdbar]

We use Access for the same application, however IMO i'ts slow to sift through. I typicall will output to an Excell file and sort and search through the data. We do have hard copied catalogs, but have NEVER left my desk to search for a job number, map number or whatever. The younger EITs have caught on and since they usually are tech savvy they embrace what I've shown them. Old School (which I guess I may be...but I can adapt) choose to launder through the index cards.

An ideal way to handle it is a GIS system where you can search by location, time period, client, project number, map number, etc..... I proposed this to our owners when looking for pet project for some folks shopping their GIS services. IMO it would be easy, but I'm paid to be productive while keeping our staff productive, so I declined to jump into that project. These usually die because these types of programs would mean someone would have to learn it - God forbid. I've come to embrace the edge I have since the market is so tight. Every advantage I have I'll take.

[Anonymous]

A long time ago I was wanting to do the same thing, and was given this
attachment to modify. It is an excel file with macros.
Now I have every project that the company I work for has ever built I now
can search by project name, number, size of building, type of building,
state the building was placed, along with city and county.
Feel free to modify it how you want.

wrote in message news:6366960@discussion.autodesk.com...
I work in utilities and I would like to create a simple searchable
image/drawing database by key word(s). Does anyone know of a simple and fast
way to create this. I was looking at creating metafiles for every drawing
but that doesn't seem to be an easy task. I have also looked at creating a
searchable pdf, but that seems like it would take an eternity. I have been
scanning our old paper drawings and creating .pdfs of our approved drawings.
My ultimate goal is to make this listing available to anyone in our company.
What is the most common (ease) way to create something like this.

[art_turner]

a simple searchable visual database of all the drawings you or your company have worked on for the past year? you would think autodesk would have something like that.

since this problem has existed since about 1985, what i used to do was buy a viewer, it came with a control you could drop into ms access. and you could open drawings from access with vb.

the most useful catalog i have now, i dont try to maintain lists of drawings, just list the projects, name, price, date, features, notes, etc in ms access, and have a button to open explorer in the same folder. i use it for my to-do list and to look up old jobs. its close to maintenance free and does almost everything you really need. actually i paste the intial data from the salesmans excel log he keeps when he sells something.